Personally, it recalls my girlhood of fort-building, tree-climbing,
shipbuilding and battle-reenacting. (As well as doll clothes making,
cooking, and reading and so on.)

I never had a Barbie. (My mother thought them obscene, and I agree.)

I agree that excessive safety mania coupled with too many organized
activities has taken a lot of this kind of fun out of childhood. (Even if
your child wants to do this stuff, he or she is likely to find that all the
other kids are in a "program" every day and there's no one to play with.)
Too bad they think such things are mainly for boys, though. I'd rather see
this kind of fun reclaimed for ALL kids.